


The Prettiest

by lle_papillionn



Series: Pastel!Draco fics [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Harry, First Kiss, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Oblivious Draco, POV Change, Truth or Dare, draco is pretty and harry can't handle it, draco malfoy is really gay, i also randomly switch from third person to first?, i just really like the idea of draco coming to eighth year all pastel and pretty, i swear too much in this, pansy isn't a complete bitch, pastel draco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 09:23:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7042360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lle_papillionn/pseuds/lle_papillionn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry thought finding him hot was bad, he thought finding out he was bisexual because he almost fell off his broom at the sight of Draco all flustered and windswept was bad, but finding him pretty was worse, way worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Prettiest

**Author's Note:**

> lmao just a reminder that i am not the best at romance writing and i have literally never even kissed anyone before soo
> 
> also please tell me someone else is there for Pastel!Draco?

Draco Malfoy was pretty. He was so damn pretty.

No-one expected him to come back for eighth year, no-one expected him to apologise for all the things he did, and no-one expected him to come back with pastel blue hair and green painted nails and freckles. No-one expected him to be so fucking pretty.

And no-one ever expected Harry Potter, the boy who lived, Draco’s previous enemy, would be sat in the common room with Hermione, complaining about how pretty Draco had become.

“He can’t do that! He can’t come back to hogwarts all delicate and pretty and flower like, it’s not fair! And you know what, I saw him wearing makeup yesterday, he had fucking eyeliner on and it just made him look even prettier! How dare he” He exclaimed, groaning as he sat down on the sofa, mumbling about stupid Draco and his stupid blue hair and his stupid pretty face.

“No-one’s denying Draco’s new style suits him, Harry. Don’t you think you seem a little too interested?” Hermione said, smirking at him.

“No, I’m just concerned you know, that, uh, well maybe something went wrong with the magic or something. I mean, Draco has always been hot sure, I mean everyone knew that, he was definitely so hot… But you know, he’s never been pretty, it’s just strange, you know?” He replied.

“And what exactly is the difference between hot and pretty, Harry? Aren’t they just the same? And maybe Draco just wanted to, you know, reinvent himself. New year, new him. He never got the chance to do what he wanted, always controlled by his parents, maybe he just wants to try to be someone new, let himself experiment” She said.

Maybe Hermione was right, maybe he was too interested. He didn’t know why, but when that boy had come back to hogwarts for his eighth year, everything about him had intrigued Harry, he wanted to know everything about him, he wanted Draco to be able to trust him, he just wanted to enjoy being near him. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be angry about just how pretty Draco Malfoy had become.

Harry thought finding him hot was bad, he thought finding out he was bisexual because he almost fell off his broom at the sight of Draco all flustered and windswept was bad, but finding him pretty was worse, way worse.

Hermione was wrong about pretty and hot being the same thing though, they were so different. Hot people were the kind of people of people you wanted to push against a wall and kiss until they forgot their own name, the kind of people you wanted the pleasure of knowing you’d seen every single inch of them, the kind of people you wanted to hear moaning your name, but pretty people, pretty people were so much worse. With pretty people, you wanted all of that, but you wanted to hold their hands, you wanted to cuddle close to them during the night, you want to know their fears, their dreams, everything about them.

He had been content with the fact that he would not have complained if Draco had placed his lips on his lips, or anywhere else, but wanting to know him, wanting Draco to know him, wanting people to know he was his, that was very new.

“I don’t know they’re just, just different” He murmured, running his hands through his hair.

“You like Draco” Hermione said, smiling at him, “Oh come on Harry, this is the gayest conversation I’ve ever had with anyone, and I’ve listened to Seamus talk about his and Dean's, ‘extra-curricular’ activities. Plus you’ve wanted to bang him since, like, third year.”

“But I don’t like him. I mean sure yes it’d be nice to do things other than bang him, it’d be nice to kiss him without it having to go any further, or to hold his hand or be able to talk and him and… Shit I like Draco” He rambled.

Shit.

*****

When he’d come back to hogwarts with his hair dyed light blue, and his fingernails painted a very pretty green colour, he’d expected insults, he’d expected they’d react in the same way his father did in fourth year when he asked if he could buy some nail polish.

But no-one did. Everyone seemed so normal around him, well as normal as you can be around someone who was made to work with the man who killed so many wizards, and whose father was now sitting in a cell in Azkaban.

The only person who’d seemed different around him was Pott-, Harry. After he spoke at his trial he thought he might be able to patch things up with Harry, he hoped they could be friends, or he’d at least get the chance to apologise, but every time they got time alone to talk, Harry would make up some lame excuse and run off. Maybe he could never forgive him, I mean, he had been working for the man who got his parents killed, he had been the shittiest human being ever to Harry and his friends during his Hogwarts years.

That was why he was so surprised when he was passed a note during Charms, from Harry, asking him to wait for him after class, that he wanted to talk.

“What do you think he could want to talk about? Do you think he still hates me? What if he wants me to leave the school?” Draco whispered to Pansy, who was doodling on her parchment.

“Maybe he wants to propose marriage. Look, Dray, if he wanted to kill you, or hex you, or whatever, he would’ve done it already. He probably just wants to talk about what happened. He could have sent you and your mother to Azkaban if he hated you, but he stood by you. Sure he might want to punch you, but who doesn’t? It’ll be fine Dray.” She replied, smiling.

Sometimes Pansy could be a real bitch, but there were times like these when he remembered why she was his best friend.

Maybe Harry would just want to talk about the trial, to finally hear Draco’s apology. Worse case scenario, Harry hexes him, but he did deserve it.

By the end of Charms Draco was a nervous wreck. He was slowly packing up his stuff when he heard Harry behind him.

****

(Harrys POV) (lmao i got into this then realised this part was much easier to write in first person…)

“I asked Professor to let us have the classroom for part of lunch, if it’s okay with you being alone with me, we can go into the corridor if not. I promise no hexing” I said, with a nervous chuckle.

“Why” he asked, “I know I deserve it. If I was you I’d use every bad spell I knew, I would have left my mother and I rot in Azkaban. I-I let people die, I let people do such horrible things, I did so many horrible things. I get it if you hate me, I’d hate me too, I do hate me. I know it means nothing compared to what I did, to what I let others do, but I’m so sorry for everything. For not standing up to my fa-, Lucius, for every terrible terrible thing I ever did and said, for everything.” He said.

Did he really think it was all his fault? Did he really think I still needed an apology after what he did for me, how he saved me in the manor.

“No Draco. You don’t apologise. He threatened your life, he would have taken everything from you, your family, your friends, your life. You did what you had to to survive, we all did. You saved me in the manor, your mother saved me in the forest, you didn’t kill a man even when your own life was threatened. You don’t have to apologise for staying alive.” I replied, walking closer to him.

“God what I’d give to see Lucius see you now. Talking with a gryffindor, with Harry Potter, taking muggle studies, apologising to muggleborns and halfbloods, looking like a literal human ray of sunshine” I laughed, gesturing to Draco’s hair and nails.

He shuffled a little uncomfortably, before saying, “I’ve always wanted to dress like this. I never liked the slicked back hair and the darkness. I asked father once if I could buy nail polish, I was five and he screamed so much. I never stopped wanting that stuff, I wanted to be bright and pastel, I wanted to be the kind of guy who looks like he owns a flower shop” He laughed, sitting down again, “It’s stupid I never should have done all of this, I should have just stayed with mother in the manor. I wanted it all to be different, for me, between me and everyone, between me and us” 

He wanted things to be different between us? How? What?

He ran his hands through his light blue hair, and god he just looked so beautiful.

I’d noticed this morning that he was wearing makeup again, his eyes were lined with the same blue as his hair, and his lips were covered in a bright pink, most of which was fading because of how much Draco seemed to be biting his lips. During the year his hair had grown longer, it was almost past his jaw now, and god it just looked so soft, I imagined what it would be like to run my hands through it, to pull him closer to me and-

“Uh Harry?” 

God Harry stop staring you prick.

“Oh sorry it’s just, um, well, you look really pretty. I think, ugh, this new look suits you, very well, incredibly well” I stuttered, feeling the heat rising to my cheeks.

“Oh, uh, thank you. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” He asked.

Oh shit yeah.

“Oh right, well Hermione, Ron and I were going to do some games and stuff in the common room tonight, maybe with Neville too, I’m sure the alcohol will persuade him. And well we, well I, was wondering if you wanted to join us, and Pansy of course?” I responded, feeeling my face going even redder.

God damn it Harry you’re just asking to hang out with him to to fuck him.

“Oh, sure, yeah that’d be nice. But, I don’t mean to sound rude, but why?” He said nervously, biting his lip again.

If that boy doesn’t stop biting his damn lip I swear I’m going to push him against that wall and.. Concentrate Harry.

“Well like you, I want things to be different between us.” I smiled, “Well I’ve got to get to lunch, Hermione and Ron might think you’ve killed me” I added, walking away.

“Thank you” Draco whispered.

****  
By the time everyone else in the eighth year common room had gone to bed, Hermione, Ron, Neville and Pansy had already drunk most of the firewhiskey.

“Soo” began a slightly tipsy Hermione, “If we’re all going to get to know each other, we should do it in the most invasive way possible. Truth or Dare!”

Truth or Dare?

After Hermione explained the rules, it turned out it was a muggle game, you were asked either truth or dare, if you said truth someone could ask you anything they wanted and you had to be honest, and if you said dare, they could make you do whatever. You could forfeit, but that would end with two shots of firewhiskey.

“Okay let’s start. Ron, truth or dare?” Hermione asked.

“Dare”

“I dare you to make out with Pansy”

“whAT! No way” Ron laughed, before downing two shoots of fire whiskey.

“Oi! Am I really that bad to kiss? Dray, would you kiss me?” Pansy pouted at me.

“Oh yeah sure Pansy, ask the gay guy if he’d kiss you” I laughed.

The room suddenly went very silent. Did they seriously not know? I didn’t exactly try to hide it, in fact I was pretty sure I’d kiss a hell of a lot of guys during my years at hogwarts. Although the gryffindors were probably more preoccupied with finding ways to put dung bombs into our dormitory, rather than watching me snog guys.

“I’ll have you know I am a great kisser, regardless of the sexual orientation of the person I’m kissing” Pansy said, breaking the silence, “Now come on Ron, ask someone else”

“Okay, Malf-, ugh, Draco. Truth or Dare?”

“Uh, Truth. I don’t fancy kissing Pansy” 

“Are you really- How did you know- How long have you- Ugh…”

“How and when did I know I was gay?” I asked for him, “Well, it was around 3rd year, I went on my first proper date with a girl to hogsmeade, and well, she kissed me, and all I could think of was what it would be like if I was kissing someone else, who was a guy. And the next couple weeks after that I started paying more attention to that guy, and I realised that I liked him, and maybe that’s why I never really wanted to date girls, that I never liked kissing them or whatever”

“Noww, uh, Hermione, Truth or Dare?” I asked, ignoring the fact that Harry had been staring at me ever since the ‘yo i’m gay’ thing.

The game went on for about an hour or two, by then Hermione and Pansy had kissed three times, Neville had admitted that he slept with a stuffed bear until 16, I was now shirtless, Harry had told us about how Hagrid gave his horrid cousin a pig tale, and we were all very very tipsy.

“Okay okay, Dracooo. Truth or dare?” Harry asked me, poking my arm after every word, “oooh muscles” he whispered, giggling.

“Truth” 

“Who was the guy? The brilliant guy who made Draco realise he swung that way, who made Draco into Gayco?” He slurred, giggling at his horrible pun.

He was actually giggling, and my god it sounded adorable.

“Well it was..”

Shit no. I can’t say it. I can’t say I spent weeks staring at Harry and thinking about how beautiful he was, I can’t say I imagined kissing him during my first kiss.

“Forfeit, give me some firewhiskey” I said, trying, and failing, to keep the heat from rushing to my face as everyone stared.

But there was no firewhiskey left. Shit.

“Come on Draco, let out your inner gay” Pansy laughed, knowing full well that my inner gay was caused by the dark haired boy sitting next to me, leaning into me.

I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the carpet.

“I’ll tell you who caused my gay panic if you tell me yours” Harry said.

Well this was something I wanted to know.

I looked up at him, nodding slightly.

“Okay so, it was more of a bisexual panic. I mean girls are very pretty and nice, but this guy was so much nicer, ya know? Well it was like, 3rd year or whatever, and I was playing Quidditch, was about to get the snitch. Then this fucking jerk swoops past me and all I can think about is how hot he looks, all windswept and flustered and red and wow. And then every time I spotted him in the halls or in classrooms or in the great hall, god I just wanted to kiss him so much, ya know. Like you see a person and they’re so fucking hot you just struggle to not do anything stupid. And then I thought I was over it, I mean he reminded me I was open to guys, the reason I briefly dated Ernie in 5th year, but he turned out to be a right prick. And then the fucking jerk comes back for eighth year all pretty and adorable and he’s not allowed to be that pretty. Like sure when he was hot it was fine I was fine-o, but then he comes back with cuteness and pastel hair and god I want to hug him he’s just so fucking pretty and I hate it because it’s just not fair” 

“I think I’m going to go upstairs” Hermione said, greeted by a chorus of me too’s by Neville, Ron and Pansy.

“G’night” Harry murmured, leaning against me, nuzzling his face into my neck.

I shivered as I felt his warm breath against my neck and he giggled again.

“He was in the same year as me, but a different house” I started, as Harry continued to lean against me, “He hated me, he thought I hated him too. We’d argue but when I was shouting insults at him, I wanted nothing more than to comfort. But I had to keep it up, if my father found out there’d be no way to escape his wrath, I knew this guy would get hurt. I watched him in his classes, watched the beautiful way his brows furrowed when he concentrated, watched him doubt himself when he was so damn smart, I watched and learnt that when he concentrated he bit his lip and god it’s so hard not to kiss him when he does that. When he came back for eighth year he seemed so much more like himself, more confident, more beautiful, more sure of himself. I’ve spent the past couple months trying to stop myself from kissing him, from doing other things. The new guy I see isn’t the one I wanted to kiss in 3rd year, he’s so much stronger, so much braver, and I love it.” I said, I didn’t really care if he knew, if he guesses it was him.

Sure he’d never like me, he’d want to be friends at most but I was sick of hiding things, sick of hiding in the corner and letting others tell me what to do, sick of keeping secrets from everyone.

“What stopped you doing anything, telling him?” Harry asked, looking up at me as I turned to meet his emerald green eyes.

“Nothing” I whispered, “I didn’t fear rejection, I would welcome it. I’ve just never be taught to voice feelings, my default seems to be to hide everything. Never let anyone know your weaknesses” 

For once it was the truth. It felt foreign on my lips, I wanted to lie, to hide everything, that’s how I’d grown up. Hell, I don’t think anyone even knew my favourite colour.

I was always told to hide. Hide Draco and he won’t hurt you. Hide Draco and they won’t laugh at you. Hide Draco and they won’t make you cry. Hide Draco and they won’t know your weaknesses.

Hide Draco and they’ll never know you. Hide Draco and no-one will never know how to love you. Hide Draco and you’ll have so many regrets. Hide Draco and you’ll never know yourself.

“Why didn’t you make some kind of move” I asked him, trying to forget the wetness of my cheeks, the blurriness of my eyes.

“Fear. But not now. Not today”

He brought his face even closer to mine, so that our noses were not touching.

“Scared Malfoy?”

 

“You wish”

Harry Potter tasted of cinnamon and firewhiskey. He tasted of freedom and hope.

****

Draco Malfoy tasted of apples and ginger. He tasted like happiness and home.


End file.
